Mobile operation of video gaming machines

ABSTRACT

Mobile operation of a video gaming machine is achieved through the use of a controller box that interfaces to the control circuitry of the video gaming machine and a mobile device. The mobile device is associated with a video gaming machine and provides an activation request or signal to the controller box. The controller box verifies that the access is available, then operates to bridge the control and operation of the video gaming machine to the mobile device platform.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the electronic video gamingindustry and, more particularly to providing mobile capabilities forapproved, and operating electronic video gaming units.

It is hard to imagine that “space” is in issue when you are standing inthe middle of the Nevadan desert, or even standing in the city of LasVegas gazing with wonder at the monstrous sizes of the casino hotelsthat are so huge, you can even build an amusement park on top of thebuilding. But, once you go inside the building, especially on a busyday, the space issue becomes very apparent. Every nook and cranny of thecasino floor is jam packed full of machines, tables, cashier desks, andexcited patrons bouncing from one place to the next. But because LasVegas is situated in the middle of the desert, no problem, just buildbigger casino/hotels in the future.

Although that may be one solution to the problem, the gaming industry islooking for other alternatives. One of the main focuses in the gamingindustry is in the use of portable devices. However, it does not takeany imagination to think of the vast problems that could be associatedwith such devices. Such as, how do you monitor them, how to you preventthem from being tampered with, how can you ensure that someone isn't;cheating or rigging the device, etc. All of theses worries, along withcountless others would lead you to the conclusion that the gamingindustry should just throw up their hands and give up on this marketingidea. However, need is too tremendous. For instance, a large number ofcasino patrons can be found lounging around the pool on a hot summerday. For the casino world, this is not the most optimal activity for thehotel guest. It is no secret that the reason we are able to stay inincredible fancy hotel rooms, laden with granite counters and walls,plush with service and inexpensive meals, beverages and ampleentertainment, is that the casino arm of the business brings in the bulkof the revenue. Face it, if you stayed in a resort such as New York,N.Y. actually in the city of New York, N.Y., you would be paying double,maybe even quadruple, the rates that you pay in Las Vegas. But the moretime that a guest spends at the shows, the pools, the restaurants, theshops, etc., the less time they spend at the tables and the machines andultimately, the less gaming revenue the casino generates from thatperson.

The drive for use of portable devices in the large-scale gaming industryis an effort to reach those individuals that come to Las Vegas forsomething other than simply gambling. Portable access to gamingenvironments can enable guests to participate in gaming environmentswhile they lounge at the pool, wait for their meal to be served, waitfor their spouse to finish shopping, or relax in the luxury of their owngranite laden room. Thus, for a casino owner, a crowded pool generallymeans a large amount of revenue that is not presently being earned.Thus, there is a need in the art for a technique to provide portabledevices for the gaming industry that can be used by patrons that arelocated remote from the casino floor. There is also a need in the artfor portable devices to be used in the gaming industry that meet thesecurity, accountability and tamper resistant criteria for the industry.

The State of Nevada, in addressing the industry's need for mobilecapabilities, has approved mobile gaming for use inside regulatedcasinos. The systems that have been introduced to the market basicallyinclude mobile gaming devices that wirelessly interface to a server andhouse thin applications that provide or present to the player, newcontent, or new gaming systems on the mobile device hosted by theserver. Such products cause tremendous problems in the industry, mainlydue to the uncertainty of their vulnerability to hacking, tampering andrigging of the mobile devices, as well as the server driving the mobiledevices. In addition, the new content being provided through thesedevices have not been tested from a marketing perspective and thus, itis unknown whether the public will embrace the products. What is neededin the art is a system and technique to simply extend the time testedand proven video gaming environments into a mobile environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a solution to the above-described needsin the art and other needs in the art by providing a technique to enablevideo gaming machines to be accessed, controlled and operated usingportable handheld devices. In general, the present invention utilizes acontroller box, similar to that described in United States applicationfor patent Ser. No. 10/689,407 and having a title of CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEMFOR DISPLAYING PROMOTIONAL EVENTS AND GRANTING AWARDS FOR ELECTRONICVIDEO GAMES, which is above-incorporated by reference. In embodiments ofthe present invention, the controller box is referred to as aPortalVision Controller Unit (PCU) and it is typically mounted within anvideo or electronic gaming machine, but could also be located proximateto the gaming machine. In the incorporated application, the controllerbox is used for providing additional promotional events, games,transactions, event participations, etc. to a user of the video gamingmachine.

The PCU, as described in various embodiments in the incorporatedapplication, connects to and/or makes use of the existing video gamingmachine resources. Such resources include the bill validator, the videotouch screen, the video from the main game board, the printer and theslot accounting systems, etc. Such interfaces enable the provision ofthe above enumerated services, as well as other services and features.

The present invention enables a video gaming machine, equipped with aPCU, to operate as a server to mobile gaming devices. The games that arehosted to the mobile gaming devices are the exact same games madeavailable to the player on the existing video gaming machines with theexception that the player can play them remotely. Advantageously, thisaspect of the present invention allows a casino that is presentlyrunning a large array of video gaming machines with existing, known,accepted and compelling content on those machines, to give playersmobile access to the content. Thus, it is not necessary for the casinooperators or owners to make a determination as to whether other mobilegaming suppliers providing mobile applications have content that iscompelling enough to attract and interest their customers. Thus, thisalleviates some of the risk of making a large financial investment on amobile gaming environment that uses unknown technology and unprovencontent.

Embodiments of the present invention essentially make better use of thecustomer's existing assets on the floor and operates to enable them tobe made available remotely via mobile devices. This is all accomplishedwithout a requirement to change the base content/game or introduce newgaming environments.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a PCU associated with aparticular video gaming machine also monitors and controls a mobiledevice associated with that particular machine. If the mobile device isactivated, the PCU causes the control of the video gaming machine, aswell as the video and audio feedback, to be directed towards the mobiledevice. In fact, the display and input controls of the video gamingmachine can be disabled or a message can be presented on the screen toindicate that the machine is being operated remotely. In this embodimentof the invention, the core of the game, as well as the payout table andthe winning determination is all performed, as previously, using thevideo gaming machine. However, the mobile device operates as a “dumbterminal” to provide the player with a mobile interface to the videogaming machine.

In another embodiment, back room video gaming machines may be set up andoperated in essence, in mobile mode only. A player can check out amobile device that is associated with a particular back room machine andengage the video game until returning the mobile device.

In another embodiment, generic mobile devices can be used and thenassociated with a particular video gaming machine upon being checked outby a customer. Alternatively, a central server may operate as a gatewayto multiple mobile devices, thereby presenting a menu of available videogaming machines and allowing the player to connect to a desired videogaming machine.

The present invention can be incorporated into a device that operates toenable access and control operation of a video gaming machine by amobile device. The device includes a video gaming machine controlcircuit interface; a wireless transceiver; a memory storage unit and aprocessing unit. The processing unit operates to detect the activationof a mobile device associated with the video gaming machine. Theactivation can be detected by receiving a signal from the mobile devicethat identifies the video gaming machine. As a result, the deviceprovides a signal to the video gaming machine control circuit interfaceindicating that mobile operation is active. At this point, the videogaming machine can be placed into mobile use operation mode and as such,the device operates to bridge the video gaming machine and the mobiledevice so that the mobile device operates as the user interface for thevideo gaming machine.

Advantageously, the present invention enables the deployment of a mobilegaming environment within a traditional casino environment withouthaving to introduce a completely new line of gaming systems withunproven and untested hardware and content. In addition, the presentinvention enables operators to maximize the use of their video gamingequipment by opening up access to mobile devices. Finally, the presentinvention enables the provision of a larger fleet of gaming devices withmobile accessible devices being able to be deployed in non-publiclyaccessible locations. These advantages as well as other aspects,features and embodiments of the present invention are presented ingreater detail in the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating the typical interconnectivity ofa video gaming machine environment.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram illustrating the deployment of one embodimentof the present invention within a common video gaming machineenvironment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the typical components includedin a controller box suitable for embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a state diagram showing the states of operation and statetransitions of a typical video gaming machine operating in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a flow chart diagram illustrating the operation of oneembodiment of the present invention that enables mobile devices tocontrol an on-the-floor video gaming machines and to invoke transitionsfrom a normal state to a mobile use state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention includes a technological solution that enablesmobile devices to control, or operate in conjunction with, a videogaming machine or an electronic based gaming environment. Throughoutthis description, the phrase “video gaming machine” is used to refer toall kinds of gambling machines, such as video poker, black jack,roulette, Keno and slot machines, as well as typical arcade videomachines. In addition, the term video gaming machine is also used todescribe an electronic based gaming environment. For instance, a livepoker table can be incorporated into an electronic based gamingenvironment using a variety of techniques. Some of these techniques areelaborated on in the detailed description. Thus, it should beappreciated that the various embodiments of the present invention arenot limited to any particular gaming environment, although particularenvironments may give rise to particular novel aspects of the presentinvention.

In general, one embodiment of the present invention is a controller boxthat can be installed within a video gaming machine. The controller boxinterfaces to the electronics of the video gaming machine and to awireless transceiver. The controller box can control the operation ofthe video gaming machine through the interface to the electronics. Forinstance, the controller box can intercept the video feed to the displayof the video gaming machine, modify the video feed, and then render themodified video content onto the display of the video gaming machine orprohibit the display on the video gaming machine. In addition, thecontroller box can intercept actuations of buttons, switches, levers,etc. and either pass such actuations through to the video gaming machinecontroller, use them for other purposes, ignore them entirely or storethem into memory. The controller box can also emulate actuation signalsby providing signals to the video gaming machine electronics. Finally,the controller box interfaces to a mobile device over the wirelessinterface.

Using this embodiment of the present invention, a mobile device can beassociated with a video gaming machine. The operation of a video gamingmachine equipped with the above-described controller box can proceed asnormal until the controller box detects an activation signal from themobile device. Once detected, the controller box can then act as anenabler to allow the control and operation of the video gaming machineto be partially or entirely performed via the mobile device. Thus, avideo gaming machine equipped with this embodiment of the presentinvention can be enabled for operation through a mobile device.Advantageously, this aspect of the present invention enables a standard,on-the-floor, in-operation, tried and tested video gaming machine tosimply become a video gaming platform for a mobile device.

Now turning to the figures in which like labels refer to like elements,other embodiments, aspects and features of the present invention aremore fully described.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating the typical interconnectivity ofa video gaming machine environment. One or more video gaming machines110 are connected to an operator server 120 through an operator network130. In the illustrated environment, the video gaming machines 110 arevideo poker machines but it will be appreciated that other video gamingmachines could likewise be connected to the same network. Typically, allof the operator's video gaming machines are connected to the operator'snetwork and it is not necessary for the video gaming machines to beco-located or even be on the same premises. For the illustrated videopoker machines, a display 140 is provided with a variety of contentincluding a payout table 150 and a card stack 160.

In operation, each time winning criteria is satisfied (i.e., a hand thatmatches a hand on the payout table), a message is sent from the videogaming machine 110 to the operator server 120 over the operator network130 or, the information may be stored in the video gaming machine 110 orother memory storage device and the operator server 120 can periodicallyrequest or extract the stored information. Information is extracted fromthis message and stored into the operator server 120. The informationmay include, but is not limited to, the payout hand, the time and datethe hand was achieved, the identity of the machine and the identity ofthe player. In the more modern video gaming machines, a magnetic cardreader or equivalent device is included in the video gaming machine. Themagnetic card reader can be used by players to insert a card thatidentifies the player and/or operates as a pre-loaded cash card toenable the game to be played.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram illustrating the deployment of one embodimentof the present invention within a common video gaming machineenvironment. A processing control unit, as described in variousembodiments in the incorporated application, connects to and/or makesuse of the existing video gaming machine resources. Such resources forthe present invention may include the bill validator, the video touchscreen, the video from the main game board, the printer and the slotaccounting systems, etc. Such interfaces enable the provision of variousaspects and features of the present invention.

One or more video gaming machines 210 are connected to an operatorserver 220 through the operator network 230. One or more of the videogaming machines are equipped, either internally or externally, with acontroller box 280. The controller box 280 includes a processing controlunit 285 and is interconnected with a main processor or controller forthe video gaming machine 281. In addition, the controller box 280includes a wireless transceiver 286 for interfacing to a mobile device.

Through the video gaming controller 281, or directly from the controlbox 280, various operations of the video gaming machine 210 can bemonitored, detected and controlled. For instance, if the video gamingmachine is equipped with a touch sensitive screen 282, the controllerbox 280 can have an affect on the contents of the display 283 as well asdetect actuations of the touch sensitive screen 282. The controller box280 may likewise detect other actuations of various buttons, levers,dials, coin slots, card readers, etc. and obtain the data or signalsthere from. The controller box 280 may be configured, based on thevarious embodiments, to simply listen to signals that are transmittedwithin the video gaming machine and then respond accordingly or, mayactually intercept such signals. Thus, in some embodiments, thecontroller box 280 may simply identify the activity of the video machineand then take certain actions while in other embodiments, the controllerbox 280 may actually govern the entire operation of the video gamingmachine by intercepting all control and status signals and then passingthem on with or without first modifying them.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the typical components includedin a controller box suitable for embodiments of the present invention.The controller box 380 is shown as interfacing to a video gaming machine310 and to a mobile device 320. The controller box 380 includes aprocessing control unit 385 that is communicatively coupled to variousdevices and/or interface components. In the illustrated embodiment, theinterface components include a wireless transceiver 386, a memory device387, a video gaming machine interface 388 and other interfaces 389. Theprocessing unit 385 operates by reading instructions from a programstored in the memory device 387 and executing the instructions, as wellas responding to activities on the various interface components.

The processing control unit 385 can interface with a video gamingmachine through the video gaming machine interface 388. In oneembodiment, the video gaming machine interface 388 can simply beattached to the communication channels, busses or interfaces of thevideo gaming machine 310 and monitor the activity. In anotherembodiment, the video gaming machine interface 388 can operate as agateway that captures the data and signal flow within the video gamingmachine 310 and passes this information to the appropriate destination,with or without modifying the information. In yet another embodiment,the controller box 380 can operate as a hybrid of these two embodimentseither based on the particular signals, the particular timing and theoperating mode of the video gaming machine 310 and controller box 380.Thus, the processing control unit 385 can obtain the status of the videogaming machine 310, the actuation of any buttons, levers, dials, etc.,control the content of the display and the status indicators, identifythe insertion of a magnetic card or coins, as well as other informationregarding the video gaming machine 310.

The processing control unit 385 can interface with a mobile device 386through the wireless transceiver 386. Through this interface, theprocessing control unit 385 can determine when a mobile device 320 isactivated, detect any actuations of buttons, keys, levers etc. 322,control the content of the data presented on the display 324, andotherwise control and/or monitor the mobile device 320.

The mobile device 320 may be any of a variety of electronic mobiledevices, including personal data assistants (PDA), cellular telephones,proprietary and customer electronics, hand held computers, notebook andlaptop computers, electronic pads, GAMEBOY type devices, as well as avariety of other electronic mobile devices. One aspect of the inventionincludes software and/or firmware that can be loaded into the mobiledevice 320 to enable it interface to the controller box 380. Inaddition, such software can enable the mobile device to be provisionedfor operation with a video gaming machine, group of video gamingmachines, class of video gaming machines (i.e., theme based,denomination based, etc) or the like. One embodiment of this aspect ofthe present invention includes the ability to load an identificationcode that uniquely identifies a video gaming machine into the mobiledevice 320 and possibly an authentication code. This information can beused by the controller box 380 to verify that the mobile device 320 isauthorized and compatible to interface to a particular video gamingmachine. Similarly, the mobile device 320 may include a uniqueidentifier that the controller box 380 can use to verify theauthenticity of the mobile device 320 and whether it may be used tointerface to a particular video gaming machine.

Thus, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentinvention enable a mobile device to serve as the interface or the usercontroller of a video gaming machine by incorporating the controller boxin or with the video gaming machine. However, it will be appreciatedthat the controller box is not necessarily a physically separate item,but rather can be incorporated into the video gaming machine assoftware, firmware or shared hardware. Likewise, the functionality ofthe controller box can be incorporated into the mobile device.Alternatively, the functionality of the controller box can be sharedbetween the video gaming machine and the mobile device, as well as oneor more external systems.

FIG. 4A is a state diagram showing the states of operation and statetransitions of a typical video gaming machine operating in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a flow chartdiagram illustrating the operation of one embodiment of the presentinvention that enables mobile devices to control an on-the-floor videogaming machines and to invoke transitions from a normal state to amobile use state. In the described embodiment, the video gaming machineis one which is located on the casino floor and accessible to publicuse. The normal state for the video gaming machine 410 is that of thetypical video gaming machine. It is operational and in an idle modewaiting for a customer to engage in play. A customer engages the videogaming machine by inserting coins or a magnetic card to enable play fromthe front of the machine. In this mode of operation, the video displayof the video gaming machine provides user feedback as the user pressesbuttons, pulls levers, turns dials, etc. While operating in the normalmode, the video gaming machine provides a full presentment of the userinterface, including updating the video display, sounding buzzers andbells, and flashing lights.

The operation of one embodiment of the present invention begins with theinitialization of the mobile device 420. The particular proceduresinvolved in the initialization of the mobile device can vary based onthe particular embodiment, and although certain aspects of the presentinvention are not limited to any particular initialization procedure,various aspects of the initialization procedure are novel. In oneembodiment, the initialization process involves permanently orsemi-permanently associating the mobile device with a particular videogaming machine. For instance, the mobile device may be provided with aunique identification code of the video gaming machine and/or the videogaming machine or controller box associated with the video gamingmachine may be provided with a unique identification code for the mobiledevice. It will also be appreciated that the mobile device can beassociated with the controller box rather than a particular video gamingmachine. In these embodiments, the mobile device is initialized andalways ready for operation with the particular video gaming machine.

In another embodiment, the initialization of the mobile device isperformed at the time of usage or check out. For instance, a customermay check a mobile device out from a cashier and at that moment, themobile device may be initialized and associated with a particular videogaming machine. Such initialization can be performed in a variety ofmanners, such as typing in a code, inserting a USB memory device, etc.

In another embodiment, the mobile device may be more dynamic and may bereinitialized or re-associated with video gaming machines on the fly.For instance, a customer may check out, purchase or use a previouslypurchased mobile device with one or more video gaming machines. In thisembodiment, an initialization or association of the mobile device with avideo gaming machine is performed on an as needed basis. If a user wantsto engage a particular video gaming machine, the user invokes anassociation between the video gaming machine and the mobile device. Thisoperation can take on a variety of forms including copying anidentification number from the video gaming machine and presenting thatnumber to a cashier along with the mobile device, entering theidentification into the mobile device by the user, using a bar codescanner of the video gaming machine and/or the mobile device, usingBluetooth to invoke a synchronization and association, or any of severalother techniques.

In other embodiments, an umbilical cord may be required to synchronize amobile device with a particular video gaming machine. In yet anotherembodiment, the mobile devices may be stored in a pocket or on a shelfbuilt into the video gaming machine. In this embodiment, the mobiledevice can maintain synchronization with the video gaming machine andconstantly receive a battery charge will not in use. If a user isengaged with a machine and then needs to move to another location, theuser can simply grab the mobile device. Once the mobile device isremoved from its location, it activates and then assumes control of thevideo gaming machine.

Once the mobile device is initialized, a user can activate the mobiledevice for play with the video gaming machine. The activation step maybe performed prior to engaging in play with the video gaming machine innormal mode, while the user is engaged in play with the video gamingmachine, or after the user disengages play with the video gamingmachine. A signal indicating the mobile device has been activated isreceived by the controller box 422. The controller box examines thecontents of the activation signal to determine the identity of themobile device, the user and/or the video gaming machine associated withthe mobile device. It should be appreciated that the activation signalmay also be used as the step of associating the mobile device with thevideo gaming machine. In this embodiment, the activation signal includesthe identification of the video gaming machine to be associated with themobile device. When the activation signal is received, the video gamingmachine transitions from the normal state 410 to the mobile use state412.

Once the video gaming machine successfully transitions to the mobile usestate, the user interface of the video gaming machine is eithereliminated or reduced. For instance, in one embodiment the userinterface for the video gaming machine is rendered completely impotentwith the exception of presenting a message indicating that the videogaming machine is presently in mobile use (i.e., IN USE TO GO MODE). Inother embodiments, the actuators of the video gaming machine aredisabled but the display operates substantially similar to normal state.Thus, a bystander or a party using a neighboring machine can watch themobile user play. The controller box receives signals from the mobiledevice indicating the occurrence of various actuators 424. Thecontroller box may interpret these actuation signals and format them ina manner that the video gaming machine understands or, the signals maybe such that they can be directly passed to the video gaming machine. Ineither case, the signals passed to the video gaming machine are used tocontrol the operation of the video gaming machine 426.

In response to the various actuations, the video gaming machine willengage in a variety of operations. For instance, such operations mayinclude, as non-limiting examples, dealing a new hand, spinning slotgears, doubling down on a bet, selecting certain cards to be discarded,requesting a Black Jack hit, folding a poker hand, etc. If any suchoperations result in a change in the user interface, this information isreceived by the controller box 428 and sent to the mobile device 430.

Subsequently, the user may deactivate the mobile device which results intransmitting a deactivation signal to the controller box. The controllerbox receives the deactivation signal and causes the video gaming machineto transition back to the normal state 432.

If a player goes to cash out, hits a winning combination or scores ajack-pot while the video gaming machine is in the mobile use state, thevideo gaming machine will not kick out the award winnings. Rather, theuser may be credited with the value loaded into the machine or the usermay be directed to go to a cashier for cashing out. Alternatively, theuser may approach the video gaming machine and then deactivate mobilemode in order to receive a cash out of his or her winnings.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the described embodiments essentiallytransition the monitor and touch screen of the video gaming machine ontoa hand held mobile tablet or mobile device. However, the same game boardused to determine the winnings and outcomes of the video gaming machineis used for the mobile device operation. The mobile device can receiveand display the same information that the user would see if he or shewere sitting at the video gaming machine. In other embodiments, thecontroller box may modify or enhance the video data. Thus, the playerinteracts with the mobile device which then sends the response back tothe controller box for the identified video gaming machine. Thecontroller box then passes this information to the game board for normalprocessing, just as if the user was sitting in front of the video gamingmachine.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile device may presenta menu or card stack to the user which identifies all of the video gamesand themes that are residing on the floor and that are not currently inuse by another party. The customer may select a theme, an availablevideo gaming machine with that theme is then reserved for the customer.If not machines are presently available, the user's request can bequeued until a machine becomes available.

In one embodiment, once a user engages a video gaming machine in mobilemode, the machine is no longer available for use by other customersuntil such time as the user disengages the mobile use of the machine. Inan alternative embodiment, the mobile customer may be assigned a videogaming machine but, if a non-mobile user engages the video gamingmachine (i.e., by entering coins into the machine), then the mobile useris transitioned to another video gaming machine.

In another embodiment, the mobile devices may be associated with videogaming machines that are not physically located on the casino floor, orthat are not publicly available for play. For instance, a back room maybe used to house an arsenal of video gaming machines for mobile use. Itwill also be appreciated that such “back room” video gaming machines maybe stripped down to simply controller boards operating on a rack withoutthe need for the video displays and user interface systems.

In a Bluetooth equipped mobile device embodiment, the mobile device canautomatically associate with a gaming machine and drop the appropriateapplet on the display to enable the games to be played on the mobiledevice. For instance, a cellular telephone or PDA equipped withBluetooth can engage in a synchronization process with a video gamingmachine. This can be conducted under the control of the user or thephone may automatically synchronize with a nearby available gamingmachine. Once synchronized, an icon or applet can appear on the user'sscreen. To access the game, the user simply selects the applet andcommences play. The user interface to the machine is then the mobiledevice but the game is actually played using the infrastructure of thegaming machine.

It should be understood that a gaming machine may actually host morethan one game. For instance, a single slot machine may actually hostmultiple games on the same platform. In the various embodiments thathave been described, as well as other embodiments, the mobile device canbe associated with a machine, thereby restricting access to the entiremachine when a user is playing the machine via a mobile interface, or itmay simply be associated with only one of the games available on themachine. This latter embodiment enables the video gaming machine toremain available to other mobile users or direct machine users for gamesthat are not presently being played through a mobile device. Similarly,it will be appreciated that a gaming machine may actually be able toprocess multiple instances of the same game. As such, the gaming machinemay host one or more mobile devices yet remain available for directusage on the floor.

Although the present invention has been described in the context ofmachine based games, it should also be appreciated that many casinos aremoving towards server based gaming environments. In these environments,the gaming machine actually interfaces to a server for providing thegaming functionality and the video gaming machine operates more similarto a thin client. The present invention may also be incorporated intothis type of environment. In one embodiment, the gaming machines wouldstill operate as the server to the mobile devices thereby providing thesame server based games to the mobile clients via their mobile devices.In another embodiment, the mobile devices may themselves interface tothe server and thereby gain access to the available games.

It should be appreciated that the communication between the mobiledevices and the gaming machines can be conducted through a short haulnetwork, such as a LAN, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, or other wirelessprotocols, or it may be conducted through a long haul network such asthe Internet or digital mobile network. For instance, variousembodiments have already been described for a mobile device operatingwithin or near a casino. However, the mobile device may also be locatedin a different State and yet still be associated with a gaming machinethrough the Internet. For instance, a user visiting a Las Vegas casinomay associate a mobile device with a gaming machine. This associationmay be active through a short haul network while the user is near thecasino but then switch over to a long haul network when the user leavesthe casino. Thus, the user could sit in his office in Atlanta Ga. andplay a gaming machine in Las Vegas. Likewise, the user may be able toassociate his mobile device with a gaming machine by registering overthe Internet, telephone, mail-in form or the like, without ever havingto be near the machine physically. The billing for game play can bedirectly charged to a customers account or the carrier providingcommunication service to the mobile device may actually include thebilling for game play. Thus, the user can remotely access a gamingmachine located in a gaming jurisdiction using a mobile device locatedoutside of that gaming jurisdiction.

The present invention has primarily been described as operating withinthe confines of a traditional video gaming environment. It should alsobe appreciated that the present invention may also be deployed anembodiment that bridges a mobile user with an actual gambling event. Forinstance, the controller box may interface to an array of video cameras,microphones and sensor equipment positioned appropriately around a pokertable, a black jack table, a roulette table or the like. Taking thepoker table as a non-limiting example, the controller box can be used totransmit pertinent information to a mobile device to enable a mobileparticipant to monitor the activity of the game, place bets, view his orher hand, etc. Such an embodiment of the present invention canadvantageously open a large number of poker table seats without havingto actually dedicate valuable floor space to such activities, whichgenerally are not as profitable to a casino as the traditional videogames, black jack tables, etc.

Similarly, the present invention can be used to enable mobileparticipation at a black jack table or other environments.

Another aspect of the present invention is providing an alarming systemwithin the mobile device. For mobile devices that belong to the casino,an alarming mechanism can be included so that if the device is moved outof the casino or a certain distance from the video gaming machine, analarm will sound at a first level to warn the user and at a second levelto alert security.

In the description and claims, each of the verbs, “comprise” “include”and “have”, and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the objector objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing ofmembers, components, elements or parts of the subject or subjects of theverb.

The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions ofembodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. It will be appreciatedthat other uses of the present invention are also anticipated. Thedescribed embodiments comprise different features, not all of which arerequired in all embodiments of the invention. Some embodiments of thepresent invention utilize only some of the features or possiblecombinations of the features. The scope of the invention is limited onlyby the following claims.

1. An apparatus for enabling access and operation of video gamingmachines by a mobile device, the apparatus comprising: a video gamingmachine control circuit interface; a wireless transceiver; a memorystorage unit; a processing unit, communicatively coupled to the wirelesstransceiver, the memory storage unit, and the video gaming machinecontrol circuit interface, and being operable in response toinstructions stored in the memory storage unit, to: detect activation ofa mobile device associated with the video gaming machine; interface withthe mobile device using the wireless transceiver; provide a signal tothe video gaming machine control circuit interface indicating thatmobile operation is active; and bridge the video gaming machine and themobile device so that the mobile device operates as the user interfacefor the video gaming machine.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thevideo gaming machine control circuit interface includes an interface tothe user interface of the video gaming machine.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the video gaming machine control circuit interfaceincludes an interface to control the display of the video gamingmachine.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video gaming machinecontrol circuit interface includes an interface to control the operationof the video gaming machine.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessing unit is operable to detect activation of a mobile deviceassociated with the video gaming machine by receiving a signal from themobile device over the wireless transceiver.
 6. The apparatus of claim5, wherein the received signal uniquely identifies the video gamingmachine.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the received signaluniquely associates the mobile device with the video gaming machine. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal provided to the videogaming machine control circuit interface indicating that mobileoperation is active results in a message indicator being displayed onthe display of the video gaming machine.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processing unit is further operable to: detect deactivationof the mobile device; provide a signal to the video gaming machinecontrol circuit interface indicating that mobile operation is inactive;and terminating the bridge of the video gaming machine and the mobiledevice so that the video gaming machine returns to normal operation. 10.A method for providing access to a video gaming machine from a mobiledevice, the video gaming machine including a controller box thatoperates as an enabler for the access, the method comprising the stepsof: receiving an activation signal from a mobile device; in response tothe receiving the activation signal, causing the video gaming machine tooperate in a mobile device operated mode; receiving operationalactuations from a remote device; providing the operational actuations tothe video gaming machine so as to control the operation of the videogaming machine; receiving user interface signals from the video gamingmachine; and providing the user interface signals to the mobile devicefor presentment to a user.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the stepof receiving an activation signal from a mobile device further comprisesreceiving a signal that uniquely identifies the video gaming machine.12. The method of claim 10, wherein the video gaming machine hosts aplurality of games and the step of receiving an activation signal from amobile device further comprises receiving a signal that uniquelyidentifies one of the plurality of hosted games on the video gamingmachine.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of causing thevideo gaming machine to operate in a mobile device operated mode furthercomprises preventing further user access to the uniquely identified oneof the plurality of hosted games but maintaining available access theother hosted games.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the video gamingmachine hosts multiple instances of a game and the step of receiving anactivation signal from a mobile device further comprises receiving asignal that uniquely identifies the video gaming machine and the step ofcausing the video gaming machine to operate in a mobile device operatedmode further comprises assigning one instance of the game to the mobiledevice while maintaining access to other instances of the game.
 15. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the step of causing the video gaming machineto enter a mobile device operated mode further comprises the steps of:rendering the user controls of the video gaming machine as impotent; anddisplaying a message indicator on the display of the video gamingmachine.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile device isprovisioned to be associated with a particular video gaming machine andthe step of receiving an activation signal from a mobile device furthercomprises receiving a signal indicating the identity of the mobiledevice and the associated video gaming machine.
 17. The method of claim10, wherein the mobile device can be provisioned to be associated withany one of a plurality of video gaming machines and the step ofreceiving an activation signal from a mobile device further comprisesreceiving a signal indicating the identity of the associated videogaming machine.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the video gamingmachine is positioned in a public area and is available for use by thepubic, further comprising the steps of: allowing a normal mode ofoperation for the video gaming machine; and in response to the receivingthe activation signal, causing the video gaming machine to enter amobile device operated mode by exiting the normal mode of operation. 19.The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of: receiving adeactivation signal from a mobile device; in response to receiving thedeactivation signal, causing the video gaming machine to return to thenormal mode of operation.
 20. A system for enabling a mobile device tooperate as a user interface and controller of a video gaming machine,the system comprising: a controller box including a processing unit, awireless transceiver, a video gaming machine control circuit interfaceand a memory storage unit; a mobile device including a wirelesstransceiver, display and actuators; the processing unit in thecontroller box, in response to executing instructions in the memorystorage unit, being operable to: receive an activation signal from themobile device; determine that the activation signal is associated with aparticular video gaming machine; causing the operation of the videogaming machine to be controlled by the mobile device; and capturing userfeedback information produced by the video gaming machine and providethe information to the mobile device.
 21. The system of claim 20,wherein the mobile device includes a display and actuators, and isoperable to: display user feedback information received from thecontroller box; detect actuation of one or more actuators; and transmita signal to the controller box indicative of the detected actuation. 22.The system of claim 20, wherein the mobile device is operable to:receive a video gaming machine identifier; and transmit an activationsignal to the controller box, the activation signal including the videogaming machine identifier.
 23. The system of claim 20, wherein themobile device is operable to receive an indicator from the controllerbox that a winning event has occurred and to display this information.